Samsung would kill ads with one UI app and it makes me happy

Samsung would kill ads with one UI app and it makes me happy

I have long been a fan of Samsung hardware, and every gadget from its phones and laptops to its TVs and monitors has been relatively impressive in terms of build quality and design. However, I have never been a big fan of Samsung's software.

But that could change on the front of the phone as Samsung is considering getting rid of the ads that adorn some of the stock apps you get with the One UI Android skin on Galaxy phones. And that would be a blessed relief.

"Samsung has made the decision to stop advertising on its own apps, including Samsung Weather, Samsung Pay, and Samsung Themes," Samsung told The Verge." An update will be ready by later this year."

"Our priority is to deliver innovative mobile experiences based on consumer needs and wants," Samsung said.

"We value user feedback and will continue our commitment to provide the best possible experience from our Galaxy products and services."

Currently, with apps like Samsung Themes and Samsung Weather, advertising is very clearly embedded in the service. While I understand that this approach is a good way for Samsung to enhance revenue from software, I find the ads very distracting. In fact, one of the first things I do when I set up a new Samsung phone is to put all Samsung apps in a dedicated folder and ignore them.

This won't surprise many people. Ads are often a necessary evil, but they are especially obnoxious when they pop up on a device you paid for.

However, if Samsung removes ads from their apps, my approach to Galaxy phones may change. I've said before that I'm a fan of pure Android, or at least Google's Pixel mobile operating system, but I'm open to new things. I quite like Samsung's weather app. But the overall Galaxy software experience, especially the app ads, has regularly seen me opt for phones that are less impressive in terms of hardware but cleaner in terms of software.

Eliminating ads in Samsung apps, along with future improvements to the One UI, could change that. And instead of seeking out Google's alternative apps, we may begin to make more use of the native apps on the One UI. If that happens, it would increase the overall appeal of Samsung phones, not just to me, but perhaps to others as well.

To be fair to Samsung, it has done a good job over the last few years of refining the apps and user interface it puts on top of Android; the move to One UI and the improvements that have accompanied it have made the Galaxy phone experience even better. There is still room for improvement, but at least Samsung now keeps many native apps in a separate folder by default rather than trying to shove them in your face.

And this move to remove ads from native apps is another indicator that Samsung is looking at ways to properly showcase the One UI. As such, this serves to stoke the fires of anticipation for the Samsung Galaxy S22.

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